


It's Just Us

by thunderingskies



Series: I will love you through simple and the struggle [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Queerplatonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-12
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-30 15:11:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8537869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderingskies/pseuds/thunderingskies
Summary: Oikawa Tooru has always been a serial cuddler.He loves proximity and feeds off touch; it grounds him, keeps him in one piece. It’s how he makes connections, how he seeks comfort - it’s a vital part of who he is. They’re closer than most boys their age, but that’s okay. Neither one cares; they hardly even notice. It’s sweet, and safe, and just them. Honestly, Hajime doesn’t even stop to think about what they are, or what they do together. They’re just Hajime and Tooru - best friends - two sides of the same coin. He feels like he knows Tooru inside and out.That is, until suddenly, he doesn’t.





	

Oikawa Tooru has always been a serial cuddler.

He loves proximity and feeds off touch; it grounds him, keeps him in one piece. It’s how he makes connections, how he seeks comfort - it’s a vital part of who he is.

Hajime doesn’t mind it, really. When they’re kids, he gets used to it quickly, since they basically were raised together. They’re always side by side; he doesn’t think it’s weird when Tooru grabs his hand on their first day of kindergarten when he gets scared of all the new people he has to meet. They snuggle up together in the evenings when their moms chat to take a nap; Hajime loves it when Oikawa runs his fingers through his hair, until he gets so relaxed he’ll fall asleep sitting up. They wrestle out on the grass during the summer, laughing and trying to see who is the strongest.

Hajime almost always wins; Tooru wins when Hajime lets him, but he’s none the wiser.

They’re closer than most boys their age, but that’s okay. Neither one cares; they hardly even notice.

It’s sweet, and safe, and just  _ them _ . Honestly, Hajime doesn’t even stop to think about what they are, or what they do together. They’re just Hajime and Tooru - best friends - two sides of the same coin. He feels like he knows Tooru inside and out.

That is, until suddenly, he doesn’t.

He really isn’t sure why things change between them, but they do.

They stop holding hands. It’s pretty sudden - Hajime reaches to grab Tooru’s hand one morning as they’re walking to school and Tooru shies away; he makes up some excuse, waving his hands around as he talks to act like he’s using them for something. Hajime doesn’t think much of it at the time, but from that moment on everything changes.

Tooru keeps his distance. It’s not like he pulls away from their friendship - he’s still at Hajime’s side, still hanging out after school and they still play volleyball together - but it’s as if after all this time, he’s finally drawn the lines of their friendship.

Hajime doesn’t like it.

He feels the barrier between them but he doesn’t what to do about it. His friendship with Tooru is important to him, so he just decides to be there for him in whatever way that he can. So he waits, and he watches, and he supports him in the best way that he knows how.

Even when they get older, and he calls him “Oikawa” instead of “Tooru”, he’s still always Tooru in his head. They continue to learn and grow. They work, and train; volleyball is Tooru’s focus, and his passion. Yet it’s also something so much more - something that threatens to swallow him whole. Something that scares Hajime like nothing else, because he doesn’t know how to handle it.

There’s ups and there’s down, times when they fight like dogs and when everything threatens to come crashing down on them-

But somehow, it doesn’t.

It doesn’t, despite the increasing tension in Tooru’s frame. Hajime sees it, the way he sees everything, careful and considering and  _ worried _ . He tries to chalk it up to volleyball and school but it’s somehow more, more than either of them know how to handle.

It all culminates right before their high school graduation. Their volleyball loss doesn’t break them, the work and the struggle doesn’t, but as they’re approaching the next step in their lives Hajime knows that Tooru needs  _ something _ . It kills him that he can’t figure out what the thing is, so he does the only thing he can think of - he invites him over for a sleepover.

Tooru agrees, easily; it’s practically a weekly tradition for them at this point. He could use the distraction, anyway - in two weeks he’s going to be trying out for his top-choice college volleyball team so Hajime just  _ knows _ that he’s pushing himself harder than usual.

Hajime spends his day a little nervous, although he isn’t sure why, until they finally walk home together. They step into his house like it’s second nature for the both of them; Tooru tucks his backpack in the closet, stretching his arms above his head.

“It’s quiet, Iwa-chan,” Tooru comments as he slips into the living room, looking around.

“Oh, yeah. My mom and dad are still off visiting my sister.” He shrugs, dropping himself down onto his couch. He props his feet up on the coffee table, “Wanna order a pizza?”

Tooru smiles; pizza was always their go-to as kids, whenever their parents would let them be “alone” on their sleepovers in the backyard. “Always! I want-”

“I remember how you eat your pizza, idiot,” he rolls his eyes, “You’ve liked yours with nothing but cheese since we were five.”

He’s rewarded with another smile and Tooru sits down on the other end of the couch. “You got me, Iwa-chan.” He’s quicker than Hajime and grabs the remote off the coffee table. “I wanna pick the movie!”

“You’re so annoying,” he huffs, “you always whine if I don’t pick the right one anyway, so go ahead.”

At that, he beams; Hajime orders pizza and when it arrives they eat, watching some ridiculous movie that Tooru’s picked out, but Hajime finds he laughs at it anyway. One movie turns into two, which turns into relaxing out on the couch and chatting; Tooru’s legs are dangerously close to Hajime’s lap and it almost surprises him how little that bothers him.

Tooru shifts and his feet bump Hajime’s thighs; he pulls them back, tucking them instead under his body.

“It’s okay, you know, I don’t mind.” Hajime quirks a brow, looking from Tooru’s face to his legs. He gets an embarrassed laugh in response and a shrug, and Tooru is quick to change the topic.

Their chat continues until, “Iwa-chan, I’m tired!” He whines, rubbing at his eyes. “Let’s go to sleep.”

“I’m with you,” he yawns, getting up and stretching. Tooru knows the way so he heads up ahead of him while Hajime cleans up, then brushes his teeth in the bathroom. By the time he gets upstairs, Tooru is standing in the doorway of his bedroom with a confused look on his face. “What is it?” Hajime asks, bumping his way past to get to his bed.

“Where’s the futon?” Tooru rubs his eyes, sleepy.

“Oh. My parents took it, my sister doesn’t have enough beds for them.” Hajime shrugs, dropping himself down on his bed. “You know there’s enough room here.” He doesn’t see it, but he can feel Tooru’s hesitation; instead of addressing it he chooses to ignore it, sliding to the far side of the bed and getting comfortable under the covers. “Come  _ on _ Oikawa, shut the lights off, I’m tired.”

“Oh. Um, right.” The lights flick off, and after a few long moments of silence, the bed dips. Hajime glances over his shoulder to see Tooru sliding under the covers, pulling them up to his chin and snuggling in. “‘Night, Iwa-chan.”

“Goodnight.” Hajime waits, because the tension in his voice is thick. He listens, waiting for Tooru’s body to relax - and it does, for a little bit. 

Hajime has no idea how long he’s been asleep when something wakes him up. Something small and fragile; something quiet and needy. He blinks himself awake, a hand coming up to rub at his eyes. There’s a hiccup from behind him, followed by slow, shallow breaths. He can’t figure out what it is at first until he rolls over, nice and slowly, and he’s able to see Tooru.

For someone so tall and proud, he looks so small, curled up just inches away from Hajime. His eyes are closed, but Hajime can see little pools of tears in the corners of his eyes. He can’t tell if he’s awake or asleep; maybe a little bit of both.

Hajime sighs, clicking his tongue. He only knows one thing that’ll calm him properly, and although he’s a little afraid of Tooru retreating again, he figures it’s worth the risk. “You can rely on me a little bit, you know.” Hajime presses forward, lines of friendship be damned, and lets his arms slide around Tooru.

His best friend’s body is lighter than expected, but a little cold - that’s just as he remembers. He draws him in, until Tooru’s face is pressed right up against his chest, and he can hug him nice and tight and properly.

Tooru’s breathing quickens, and he swallows thickly; Hajime whispers soothingly to him, nuzzling the top of his head. “Hey, relax,” he encourages, feeling how fast Tooru’s heart is beating.

“ _ Iwa-chan _ ,” he whispers, quietly, just like how he did when they were kids. “Why, I-I, I don’t, you don’t-”

“It’s okay.” Hajime squeezes him a little tighter. There’s something about being close like this, with Tooru - Hajime feeds off it. He doesn’t want to let him go.

“It’s okay?” Tooru’s voice is muffled as he finally succumbs to the hug; he wraps his arms around Hajime, tucking his head in right under Hajime’s chin. His tears are wet against Hajime’s neck, but his breathing regulates, calmly.

“‘Course. I don’t know why we ever stopped this, to be honest.”

“Really?” Tooru pauses, rubbing his face on Hajime’s chest, and sighing in that little contented way of his -  _ god _ , Hajime missed this, a lot, so much more than he’d thought.

Hajime hums, and threads his fingers through Tooru’s hair. Tooru shivers at the action, but leans into it, almost conflicted. “Do you not like it anymore?” He remembers how much this always calmed him, how easy it was to get him to relax by touching him like this when they were younger.

“No!” Tooru clutches at Hajime’s shirt like he’s afraid he’ll let go, “No, that’s not it!” He breathes deeply, his heart beat increasing - Hajime can feel it, and it’s making his own beat faster, too. “You started calling me Oikawa, so I figured we had to grow up… and stop this…” Tooru buries his head again against Hajime’s chest, his deep breaths tickling Hajime’s collarbone. His hands squeeze Hajime, tightly; it feels good, almost unquantifiably so. Tooru must be feeling the same way, only Hajime is sure it’s more intense for him, with how touch-starved he must be.

“Who says we have to stop just because we’re older?” Hajime breathes easier with Tooru in his arms. He keeps one hand in his hair, smoothing through the locks there and lets his other hand slide down Tooru’s back, rubbing gently to soothe him. He feels his body start to relax, muscles losing their tension, and it’s freeing.

Somehow, Hajime can practically  _ feel _ how hard Tooru is frowning, despite the rest of his body practically melting against Hajime’s. “But best friends don’t cuddle like this, Iwa-chan.”

He huffs, and, “Okay, so then what does that make us?”

Tooru remains quiet for a long moment. He doesn’t pull back his face to look at Hajime, instead quietly mumbling, “What do you want us to be?”

What  _ does _ he want?

Well, he’s sure of one thing. “I want to stay close to you.” Hajime breathes in deep, “I’ll be whatever you’ll let me be.”

Tooru is very quiet. Hajime can feel his body tensing up, and he’s ready to go back on his word until Tooru lets out a shaky laugh. “You’re ridiculous, Iwa-chan.” He huffs, trembling ever so slightly, chuckling, “Absolutely ridiculous, you idiot.” He sniffles, squeezing him tighter; “I can’t-I can’t handle you sometimes.”

“I think that’s my line,” Hajime laughs, easily.

“No way! I’m adorable and a joy to be around.”

Hajime snorts. “That’s an interesting way to describe it.”

Tooru snickers, before his voice drops quiet. “You serious, Iwa-chan?”

“Yeah.” Hajime smiles again, nose brushing against Tooru’s hair, “What do you think?”

He inhales a deep breath before  pulling back his face, just enough to look Hajime in the eye. “I think that you’re my Iwa-chan, obviously.” He grins, “And there’s nobody more important to me than you.”

Hajime’s expression softens; he smiles, pulling Tooru back into the cuddle. “Good. Now get some rest, Tooru - I don’t want you complaining if you’ve got bags under your eyes in the morning.”

“So rude, I always look beautiful.” Tooru snickers, but allows it; his hands find Hajime’s lower back, holding him close, relaxing him in the same way Hajime does for him.

Once they’re back pressed together they both relax, eyes slipping closed, finding comfort in each other’s warmth. When they’re together, there’s nothing that they can’t handle. No obstacle too big to overcome, and no problem too complex to solve. Tooru rubs circles in his lower back and Hajime feels it all - he feels safe, he feels cared for, and most of all, he feels loved.

Tooru’s breathing slows, indicating sleep; Hajime is not far behind him. But before they’re out completely, Tooru squeezes him tightly. “Thanks, Hajime.”

**Author's Note:**

> ohohohobro on tumblr gives me too many soft Iwaoi feelings, you should really go check out the adorable Iwaoi art ♥


End file.
